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arch 23, 1965 T. GREEN ANIMATED DISPLAY Filed Dec. 17, 1962 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. a l m1 green BY United States Patent 3,174,243 ANIMATED DISPLAY Marvin T. Green, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Chicago Show Printing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 245,252 4 Claims. (Cl. 40-139) This invent-ion relates to a display device which is characterized by an animated manner of operation. The device of this invention is to be utilized in combination with one or more display surfaces which are adapted to be moved by the device whereby an efiective presentation of the material thereon can be accomplished.

Signs, placards and similar constructions are used in a large variety of applications for displaying information. A common application for display devices is in the advertising field where various words, pictorial designs and combinations thereof are employed for conveying information concerning products, services et cetera.

In the display of information for advertising and for other purposes, it is an important consideration to provide displays capable of attracting the attention of the viewer and capable of holding the interest of the viewer for a time sufficient to convey the desired information. When the proper amount of attention is given by the public to a display, then there will be a greater tendency for an enduring impression to remain. Accordingly, the products or services referred to by the display will be more readily suggested when there is an occasion for the purchase of products or services of the class referred to.

It has been established that displays having animated characteristics Will attract the attention of the viewing public. Thus, where moving parts comprise a portion of a display, the information thereon will tend to be conveyed in an effective manner whereby the individuals responsible for the display will tend to realize a greater return on their investment in the construction forming the display.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a display device which features animated characteristics and which can therefore be utilized for conveying information in a highly effective manner.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a mechanism capable of moving large display means over a substantial distance and at a relatively high speed while employing extremely low capacity driving mechanisms whereby an attention-getting arrangement can be achieved in an extremely economical fashion.

These and other objects of this invention will appear hereinafter and for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, specific embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is an eleyational view of an animated display device characterized by the features of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the drive means which characterize the display device of this invention; and,

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged side elevation in section illustrating the drive means shown in FIGURE 2.

The dis-play apparatus of this invention consists of a housing for a motor adapted to drive portions of the apparatus. The motor is operatively connected to a rotatable member and resilient means interconnect this member with a display card or the like. Movement is then transmitted to the display card during rotation of the rotatable member.

In a preferred form of this invention, a plurality of springs are suspended from a mounting means and these 3,174,243 Patented Mar. 23, 1965 springs are connected to the display means. At least one of the springs is connected to a motor and the spring transmits energy to the display means while the remaining springs serve as supports for the display. This arrangement permits the use of a small motor since it has been found that substantial and rapid movement can be transmitted to the display without the expenditure of a large amount of energy by the drive means.

The accompanying drawing will serve to illustrate a display apparatus characterized by the features of this invention. The drawing illustrates a display assembly 10 which includes a housing 12. A pair of wires 14 provide for suspension of the housing with respect to the ceiling, an overhead beam, or other stationary structure. Eyelets 16 and bracket extensions 18 can be utilized for connecting the wires 14. However, it will become apparent that various arrangements may be employed for suspending the housing 12. In this connection, the housing could be provided by means of a recess defined in a ceiling or other supporting structure. It will also be understood that the mounting of the display can be undertaken without the use of any housing or other enclosure. In this respect, the mounting means could be suspended out in the open or it could be attached by means of adhesive or other means to windows or walls.

Located within the housing is a transversely extending bracket 20. This bracket supports a motor 22 and a cord 24 extends outwardly of the housing through opening 26 in order to provide for driving of the motor 22. The drive shaft 28 of the motor extends into the gear box 30 and a shaft 32 is driven by means of this arrangement. This gear box serves to control the speed of the shaft 32 whereby the speed of the motor can be synchronized with the bouncing action of the display in order to achieve the maximum movement in the display.

An arm 34 is tied to the shaft 32 by means of a set screw 36 which releasably fixes this arm on the shaft. A link 38 is provided with one end freely movable in the arm 34 while the other end 40 is turned inwardly at right angles. Secured to the inturned end is a spring 42 which extends downwardly through opening 44 defined in the housing 12.

Springs 46 and 48 are also connected to the bracket 20 and these springs are located to extend downwardly through openings 50 and 52, respectively. The springs 42, 46 and 48 are each connected to a display card 54 as shown in FIGURE 1. One or more additional cards 56 can be suspended beneath the card 54 by means of springs 58.

In the operation of the display apparatus, the motor 22 is started whereby the arm 34 will rotate in response to movement of the shaft 32. Since the link 38 is freely movable in the end of the arm 34, the link will remain in a vertical position while moving up and down with respect to the spring 42. It will be apparent when considering the described structure that the lower end of the link will travel the path suggested by the arrows 60. It will also be appreciated that this movement of the link will transmit force to the spring 42 and to the display of energy to the springs which sets up a bouncing action in the display. The spring 42 which connects the motor to the display card 54 is designed to enable the motor to turn while inducing vertical movement in the display which is many times the vertical movement of the end of the link 38. By properly selecting the springs and motor capacity, a vertical movement of two or three feet can be easily accomplished in the display means while the crank arm may have an effective radius of only two inches.

As previously noted, the spring attached to the display preferably does not carry a significant portion of the weight of the display. One means of accomplishing this is to provide a pair of display supporting springs on either side of the spring connected to the motor. This latter spring is then formed of the same guage as the supporting springs but will be considerably longer, for example about twice as long.

When the motor operation is initiated, the slight pull of the spring on the display card 54 will gradually start a bouncing action in the display. A gradual increase in this action takes place to a point where a maximum bouncing effect is achieved. The slight force of the motor will then be sufiicient to continue the maximum movement of the moving section as long as the motor is operating. Battery operated motors or low capacity motors of the plug-in type, e.g. motors of the type used in electric clocks, can be utilized, and, accordingly, an economical display construction will be provided.

As previously noted, the display connected to the springs is advantageously moved through a distance of a. few feet while the arm 34 will rotate in a circle having a radius of only a few inches. To accomplish this and to achieve the gradual build-up in the bouncing action of the display, it is necessary to coordinate the speed of the drive motor with the frequency characterizing the bouncing action. Specifically, the upward pull transmitted to the display by means of the spring 42 should take place as soon as the display has reached the lowermost point of movement and is beginning its upward movement in response to the action of the springs 46 and 48. The amplitude of movement of the display can be gradually increased at the beginning of operation to a maximum point if the motor and display movement are in phase with each other. When the maximum amplitude is achieved, the small amount of energy transmitted by the motor will be sufficient to maintain this movement in the display for an indefinite period.

The particular motor employed and the nature of the springs can be determined once the particular display has been settled upon. Thus, any display can be subjected to the bouncing action of this invention by means of a suitable motor and spring combination. It will be appreciated that wide variations in the most satisfactory combinations for displays will be the rule. Accordingly, no set formula is available; however, a most satisfactory procedure for achieving a desirable combination has been determined. Specifically, a display can be first hung from a pair of supporting springs absent a central spring 42. The desired amplitude for the particular display can then be determined and the approximate time involved in completing a cycle of movement can be utilized to determine the rpm. of the motor to be employed. The spring 42 which is added preferably has little or no function insofar as support of the display is concerned.

It will be understood that the motor employed need not be capable of lifting the display through any significant distance. Thus, when the operation is started, the movement of the display may be hardly visible. However, by providing a speed in the motor approximately corresponding to the frequency of movement in the display, each increment of energy developed by the motor will be transmitted to the display in an additive fashion to thereby gradually build-up to the maximum effect desired.

In addition to the low-cost characteristics of the described construction, it will be appreciated that the display mechanism permits the effective illustration of a large variety of information. Thus, the panels can be utilized for displaying advertising copy, sales messages, or similar information. A plurality of display cards in a variety of shapes and sizes can be employed in combination and different colors can be effectively provided for displaying information in a particularly eye-catching manner.

It is proposed that the housing 12 be formed of cardboard or some other material which can be folded into a compact condition for shipping and which then can be assembled without the need for expensive operations. Similarly, other portions of the apparatus can be manufactured of low-cost materials and therefore the apparatus described is capable of achieving the desirable results of animated displays without constituting a large capital investment.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications can be made in the above described display apparatus which provide the characteristics of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof particularly as defined in the following claims.

That which is claimed is:

l. A display apparatus comprising a housing, motor means disposed within said housing, a rotatable member adapted to be driven by said motor, a display means located beneath said housing, a plurality of spring means connected to said display means and extending into said housing, one of said spring means being operatively connected to said rotatable means whereby movement can be transmitted to said display means by said rotatable means, a mounting bracket extending transversely across said housing and means for supporting said motor means on said bracket, said spring means including a pair of springs secured at either end of said bracket on opposite sides of said motor means, said motor means driving a horizontally extending shaft and said rotatable member comprising an arm fastened to said shaft and rotatable in a vertical plane, a link means having one end movably mounted on said arm and adapted to rotate with said arm while remaining in a vertical position, said one spring means being connected to the other end of said link means.

2. A display apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein one said spring comprises a spring adapted to extend in response to changes in the position of said link without significantly changing the vertical position of said display means, whereby a low capacity motor can be utilized in said apparatus.

3. A display apparatus comprising a housing, motor means disposed Within said housing, a mounting bracket comprising a transverse bar disposed within said housing, a rotatable member adapted to be driven by said motor, a display means located beneath said housing, said display means comprising a plurality of separate sections, a plurality of spring means connected to said display means with the uppermost spring means connecting said display means to said bracket and with additional spring means connecting sections of said display means together, said uppermost spring means including a pair of springs secured at either end of said bracket on opposite sides of said motor means, said motor means driving a horizontally extending shaft and said rotatable member comprising an arm fastened to said shaft and rotatable in a vertical plane, and an additional spring means connecting said rotatable member to said display means whereby rotation of said arm imparts forces to said display means through said spring means to thereby effect vertical reciprocation of said display means.

4. A display apparatus comprising a housing, motor means disposed within said housing, a rotatable member adapted to be driven by said motor, a display means located beneath said housing, a plurality of spring means connected to said display means and extending into said References Cited by the Examiner housing, one of said spring means being operatively con- UNITED STATES PATENTS nected to said rotatable means whereby movement can be transmitted to said display means by said rotatable 1,556,133 10/25 Stanley 40-439 means, said spring means comprising a pair of springs 5 2,033,190 Edlsfm 40 138 fixed to a bracket means within said housing and attached 2,265,355 12/41 Davld X to the outer corners of said display means, and wherein FQREIGN PATENTS said one spring is located between said pair of springs,

606,782 3/26 France. said one spring being of substantlally greater length than 506,404 9/30 Garmany.

said pair of springs whereby said pair supports substantially all of the weight of said display means. JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner. 

3. A DISPLAY APPARATUS COMPRISING A HOUSING, MOTOR MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOUSING, A MOUNTING BRACKET COMPRISING A TRANSVERSE BAR DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOUSING, A ROTATABLE MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN BY SAID MOTOR, A DISPLAY MEANS LOCATED BENEATH SAID HOUSING, SAID DISPLAY MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE SECTIONS, A PLURALITY OF SPRING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DISPLAY MEANS WITH THE UPPERMOST SPRING MEANS CONNECTING SAID DISPLAY MEANS TO SAID BRACKET AND WITH ADDITIONAL SPRING MEANS CONNECTING SECTIONS OF SAID DISPLAY MEANS TOGETHER, SAID UPPERMOST SPRING MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPRINGS SECURED AT EITHER END OF SAID BRACKET ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID MOTOR MEANS, SAID MOTOR MEANS DRIVING A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING SHAFT AND SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER COMPRISING AN ARM FASTENER TO SAID SHAFT AND ROTATABLE IN A VERTICAL PLANE, AND AN ADDITIONAL SPRING MEANS WHEREBY SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER TO SAID DISPLAY MEANS WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID ARM IMPARTS FORCES TO SAID DISPLAY MEANS THROUGH SAID SPRING MEANS TO THEREBY EFFECT VERTICAL RECIPROCATION OF SAID DISPLAY MEANS. 